Trump, Putin to hold summit in Alaska on Aug. 15
Trump made the announcement on social media on Friday, describing the summit as a "highly anticipated meeting."
Observers are paying attention to whether the talks will pave the way for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Trump spoke to reporters earlier in the day about possible territorial concessions for a ceasefire, saying, "It's very complicated."
He added, "There'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both." But he said, "We'll be talking about that either later or tomorrow or whatever."
Trump also said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "going to have to get ready to sign something," and that "I think he's working hard to get that done." But he did not mention what Zelenskyy might sign.
Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov also confirmed the summit plan when he spoke to reporters on Saturday.
He noted that the US and Russia border each other. He said it seems "quite logical" that the Russian delegation should simply fly across the Bering Strait, and that such an important summit should be held there.
Ushakov said the presidents will undoubtedly focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
He also said that the economic interests of the US and Russia overlap in Alaska and the Arctic, and prospects for the implementation of large-scale and mutually beneficial projects can be seen.
Friday was the deadline set by Trump for Russia to agree on a ceasefire with Ukraine. Trump has warned that if Moscow misses the deadline, the US will impose sanctions, including what he called "secondary tariffs," on countries that buy crude oil and other petroleum products from Russia.
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